


Apologies and an Ice Pack

by CatLovePower



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s01e03 And the Horns of a Dilemma, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9390371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLovePower/pseuds/CatLovePower
Summary: Tag to episode 103 - Stone was concussed after all.





	

“We rule,” Ezekiel said as Baird left the room. “Mostly me, you guys were okay,” he corrected as an afterthought.

“Okay?” Cassandra was indignant. “I did math.”

“True. Points for math,” the thief conceded. “Stone, though, you mostly just got beat up.”

There was no denying that the comment hurt, because he did save them all by not letting go of that ball of thread. His hands were chafed and burned, but he didn't say anything. The headache wasn't abating and he didn't have the heart to argue with Ezekiel right now. The thief was starting to get on his nerves, or maybe that was just the adrenaline running out.

He gingerly felt his head when Ezekiel reminded everyone that he had been thrown into a wall. No one offered to check, but he wasn't bleeding, so he'd probably be alright. The fact that he couldn't see straight or that standing suddenly seemed complicated was a detail.

He had worse, he thought, as they all left the main room of the Annex. Bar brawls weren't a safe activity after all. But there was usually always someone to check on him, bring him some ice or drive him to the hospital. It was a wonder he was still smart with the amount of times he got concussed, back home.

He didn’t really know how he was going to get home. He sure wouldn’t be able to drive, not when the corridor was undulating slightly as he walked. Maybe Jenkins could open a passage to his apartment. Maybe he could just call a taxi. He patted his jeans and realized belatedly that he had forgotten his phone in the Annex, maybe upstairs, he couldn’t remember.

He turned around and nearly rammed into Ezekiel, who yelped and jumped back. Stone raised a hand to stop the Australian’s rant before he could start, because his head felt like it was going to split. Surprisingly enough, Ezekiel stayed silent and eyed him suspiciously.

Then he simply said, “You don’t look good, mate.”

“Don’t feel good,” Stone answered in a low voice.

Ezekiel didn’t offer to help, but he followed Stone back into the Annex, hovering nearby and looking sheepish. At least Stone would have seen that if he wasn’t entirely focused on walking in a straight line.

The lights were dimmed, and he mentally thanked whoever was responsible for that. Bright lights and concussions weren’t a good combination. He sat down on the stool he left a minute ago, feeling too burned out to look for his lost phone anyway. Ezekiel still hadn’t left his side.

“Uh,” he said. “There is something for you.”

Before Stone could figure out what he meant by that, he was reaching for an object on the large table behind Stone. It was an icepack with a post-it note with Stone’s name on it.

“Baird must have left it…” Ezekiel said, putting it in Stone’s hand. The cold was good on his hand, and even better on his skull.

They stayed like that for a while, Jake slouched on the table, the icepack on his head, melting away in his hair, and Ezekiel next to him apparently not ready to leave yet. When he started to fidget, Stone opened an eye and said, “You can go if you want. Don’t need a babysitter.”

“The pizza is on route,” Ezekiel answered, without looking up from his phone.

When the doorbell rang, the ice was mostly water, and Stone felt slightly more human. When Ezekiel came back with his pizza, he even felt as if he could try a bite.

On the table stood another small package with yet another post-it. Ezekiel spotted it, with an excited, “What’s that!?” This time they both witnessed the message appearing in neat, calligraphy letters. _For Jacob Stone._

“I think the Library likes you,” Ezekiel said, taking the new gift with a childish smile.

It was ointment, for burns, which left the thief confused for a second, before he saw Stone’s hands on the table.

“You should have said something,” he told him, uncapping the tube for him.

“It’s okay.”

“You got us out of there,” Ezekiel insisted.

“Cassandra’s math got you out, not me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You ruled too,” Ezekiel said, patting Stone on the shoulder, a bit awkwardly, but the gesture was comforting anyway.

And Stone smiled, because it was as good an apology as he would get.


End file.
